Cōnstitūtiōnēs dē Venēficiōrum
by bigo4190
Summary: Harry makes a discovery, and it changes the direction of his life, and eventually the very shape of the Wizarding World.


Cōnstitūtiōnēs dē Venēficiōrum  
by: bigo4190

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and make no profit from this work. There are lines of dialogue within that are taken directly from Chapter 1 of _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_.

Prologue: The Shattering of Normalcy

* * *

Normal: Such a simple word for an idea so difficult to define. For what may be called 'normal' in one society may be as far from 'normal' in another as to be considered laughable, or barbaric. Another feature of normality is that is isn't regular, nor is it complete. Even in a group that is considered 'normal', of which every member is 'normal,' they will all likely have some unique feature that makes them different. This is even truer of people; a 'normal' person, while they will have many traits that are 'normal,' it is almost guaranteed that they will have some trait that is _abnormal_, or at least 'odd' or 'unusual.' To find someone who is 'perfectly normal' in every way is the furthest thing from 'normal' that can occur.

Consider the following: Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. Given the above, it is obvious that there is something hidden within the lives of these people: something they would like very much to keep hidden. That something is, in fact, a some_one_: Harry James Potter, the son of Petunia Dursley's sister Lily. The reason is that Harry Potter is far from 'normal'––no matter how you define it.

Of course, little Harry doesn't yet know just how different he is. Having grown up punished for anything the Dursleys perceived to be abnormal that happened around him, Harry knew that something was different about him, but not what, or how to use it. But that is about to change.

* * *

Harry was running. However, unlike most other 8-year-old boys, he wasn't running for fun, or as part of a game; at least, not his own fun or part of a game he wanted to play. You see, this was Break Time on the last day of school and Harry's cousin Dudley Dursley and his gang of friends were engaged in their favorite game: 'Harry Hunting.' They played it everyday, sometimes during Break, other times after school. Most people would call it bullying, and they would be spot on.

Dudley's gang had developed a special ritual for their favorite victim, but that is all he was, a favorite victim. They bullied anyone they thought they could. So far that meant girls in primary school, and Harry. Harry was sure that once they moved on to secondary school, the primary school boys, and possibly the secondary school girls, would be added to the list of victims.

But Harry wasn't thinking about that now. All he was focused on was getting away from Dudley and his gang. As he ran towards the kitchens, he spied the bins. '_There! Just a bit further and I'll be out of their reach._' With that Harry put on a burst of speed and, closing his eyes, made a jump for safety.

He felt weightless, but soon his feet touched down. He crouched, listening for the gang to try and get to him. But as he sat there, still with his eyes closed, he realized three things: there was no sound of Dudley's gang, he couldn't smell the bins, and the sun was far too bright for the shadowy space between the bins and the wall of the kitchens. Slowly, he cracked open his eyes and realized that he was on the roof of the kitchens!

At first, he thought that the wind had caught the sail-like hand-me-downs from his cousin had been caught by the wind and was going to stand up and look for a way down. But then he remembered that weightless feeling; not the momentary weightlessness you feel at the top of a jump, but sustained from the moment his feet left the ground to the moment they touched the roof of the kitchens.

Staying crouched down, Harry thought about the odd sensation, and realized there was another feeling that went along with it. While his body felt weightless, there was a small tingling feeling coming from somewhere within him. As he thought about it, he realized he had felt it before. Once, as he was falling asleep after his aunt had cut off all his hair except his bangs, another time when she was trying to force an absolutely horrid sweater on to him, and of course that time Ms. Lipsky's hair turned blue.

As he thought about all these strange occurrences, he realized that every time something extremely strange occurred around him, he had felt that strange tingling feeling. More than that, every time he felt that tingling, he was completely focused on something: His desperation to avoid humiliation for his haircut or for wearing that sweater, his frustration with Ms. Lipsky's horrible attitude, and, most recently, his desire to be somewhere out of reach of Dudley's gang.

It was then that Harry first began to realize just how special he really was. '_It _was_ me. All this time, the Dursley's have been right. I have been causing strange things to happen around me._' Harry reached a decision then, he was going to learn to control whatever this strange power of his. No longer would he allow Dudley and his gang to push him around. If he could control this power, he could fight back.

So, rather than try and climb back down from the kitchen roof, Harry crawled further towards the middle, so that he was sure he couldn't be seen from the ground. He knew that if he was discovered on the roof that he would be in trouble, and climbing down was a sure way to get caught. He was going to try and use his power to get back to the ground. He knew that this too would have problems: If he took to long he would miss the end of break––actually it was already too late for that he realized as he heard the shrill whistle of the on-duty teacher. Another problem was that if he got down the same way as he got up, by floating, he was very likely to be seen. Luckily, he did know of a few spots he could go to that weren't far from the kitchens and couldn't be seen from any of the school windows.

Sitting in the middle of the roof, Harry began the slow process of trying to call up his power consciously. Finally, he felt the tingling feeling filling his body. It was everywhere, lying just under his skin. With his eyes closed and totally focused on the feeling, Harry didn't see his clothes and hair swaying gently in a non-existent breeze. And even if his eyes had been open, in the harsh noonday sun, he would have been unable to spot the gently glow coming from himself.

Letting out a breath, Harry let his power fade away. Once he could no longer feel the tingling, he tried to call it out again. While still a slow process, it was noticeably faster than the first time. So, over the course of the next hour, Harry practiced until he could call up his power in an instant. Satisfied, he focused on the next step: choosing where to go from the roof. He settled on a place beneath a large Oak. It was on the edge of the school property, and there was a small rise that hid the bottom of the tree from passersby.

Concentrating on the place, Harry carefully constructed an image of it in his mind's eye, down to the smallest details. Once he had secured his destination in his mind, he called up his power. Slowly, deliberately he focus his power on the image. With all of his determination he _willed_ himself to be in the place he was envisioning. However, this time, instead of the weightlessness and gently floating that had brought him to the roof, he suddenly felt that he was being crushed. When it was nearly unbearable, he heard a soft _¡pop!_ and the pressure suddenly lifted. Falling backwards, Harry realized, even as he struggled to keep from vomiting, that it had worked.

He managed it, and as he lay there in the soft cool grass, he heard a small gasp above him. As his eyes focused, he realized that, sitting in the branches of the tree, was a small girl, about a year younger than him. He then noticed the dirty scraps on her knee and the beginnings of a black eye: it was another victim of Dudley's gang.

"Ho-How did you DO that! You just appeared out of nowhere!" The girl was looking at Harry in awe. Harry quickly decided that he should use his power for more than keeping Dudley and his gang away from himself. He was going to help everyone he could to get away from them.

"It's a…gift I have. I just figured out how to control it. I used it on accident early to get away from _them_," Harry gestured up at her when he said the last word, emphasizing their shared fate as victims of Dudley. "I don't know if anyone else can do it, but even if they can't I'm going to uses this power to make sure people like us are safe from people like them. I'm Harry Potter, their favorite victim."

The girl smiled at that, "I know, I've seen them chasing you. I'm Kaleigh Ainsworth. They seemed mad that you disappeared on them at Break today. Is that when you used it on accident?"

"Yeah, I floated myself onto the roof of the kitchens. I spent the rest of the day up there trying to get down. I'm as surprised as you at how I got down here. Anyway, as nice as it was to meet you Kaleigh, I need to get going. I'm already going to be in trouble with my Aunt and Uncle for up and disappearing during the school day. The next time I'm allowed outside, I'll try and track you down. Pass the word around that I'm going to start fighting back against Dudley. Anyone who want protection from him can come to me."

That day marked a great change in the life of Harry Potter, one that would have far reaching consequences that he could scarcely imagine.

* * *

Authors Note: The inspirations for this chapter come from a variety of sources. Most notably: The Prologue of _Harry Potter and the Harem of Honeys_, originally by szordara, later continued by ROTARYFILE; Chapter 1 of _Balance_, by Stargatesg1fan1. In addition, the name of Ms. Lipsky comes from Chapter 1: You Thought You Knew of _Harry's Pack_, by RedtheBrunette. No infringement of their work was intended, merely an appreciation of their ideas, which I (hopefully) have blended and shifted into a new and unique creation.


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